Nonskid device



May 13, 1947. E. A. DENNISON NON-SKID DEVICE Filed March 27, 1945 ERNEST ARTHUR DENNBON [I7 van for At torney Patented May 13, 1947 2,420,361 I C E 2,420,361 NONSKID DEVICE Ernest Arthur Dennison Andover, England, assignor to Kennedy and Ker ripe, Limited; Lon

land, a British joint Goodworth Clatford,

gparish, Andover, Engstock company Application March 2'7, 1945; Serial No. 585,056 In Great Britain March 21, 1944 Claims.

I This invention relates to non-skid devices for road vehicles and more particularly for vehicles of the type having twin-tired wheels arranged in tandem with an overall chain passing around two wheels set one in advance of the other.

More specifically, the invention relates to nonskid girdle or overall chain for twin-tired vehicle wheels, provided with shoes or transverse tread members coupled together by two connect-- ing chains or linkages, in. which each shoe is fitted with a lateral wing orfiap. pivoted at the outside end for engaging one connecting chain or linkage and also with a rigid member or tongue at about the middle-of its length for engaging the second connecting chain or linkage extending substantially in the central plane of the wheel, the inside end of the shoe extending at least partly across the inner tire of the wheel,

The present invention has for its main object to provide an improved non-skiddevice of this kind, in which each rigid member or tongue secured to a, shoe or tread-engaging element so as to penetrate between the tires, is built up by means of parallel plates between which a rounded point-section is fixed, these plates being fitted into longitudinal slots in two other plates secured to the shoe.

Further objects of the invention are to reinforce the tongue construction and to obviate the need for additional bolts for clamping the con necting chainv between them, which bolts being nearer to the rounded point of the tongue would increase the risk of damage to the tires.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear from the following description, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: r

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section on the line of Fig. 2, showing a single shoe or treadengaging member extending transversely of the twin tires, with the lateral wing or flap pivoted to the outside end of the shoe, and the rigid mem her or tongue secured to the shoe at about the middle of its length.

Fig. 2 is a detail of the tongue in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is detail of a. modification,

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, which illustrate a preferred construction of shoe, the tongue has a point-section consisting of a loop a of rounded trianguler or D-shape, made from a length of round bar iron or mild steel, the two ends a of the length being brought into line and secured by snap-headed rivets b between the edges of a pair of parallel plates 0 of substantially rectangular shape, so that the rounded side of the loop projects outwardly from between the plates; the opposite edges of the plates are slotted perpendicularly to and near the middle of their length, to form two open-ended slots d in which there are engaged edgewise a pair of transverse plates or hangers e which are themselves secured at their other ends to the tread-engaging element f of the'shoe.

This element may consist of a rigid metal bar or'ribbon of twisted shape, such as described in D. S; Kennedys Patent No. 2,095,523, dated October 12, 1937, but having a, fiat untwisted portion f at about the middle of its length and having at only one end an attachment tab f for a hinged side flap g; the spacing of the slots (1 in the tongue plates C corresponds to the thickness of the twisted element at its flat middle portion f so that the said flat portion standing edge- .wise to the tire treads" can be fitted tightly between the two transverse plates or hangers e and secured thereto by rivets h. The projecting ends of the hangers are notched at z to span the parallel tongue plates c and their side edges are bevelled at e from the bottom of the twisted element down to their extremities at the open side of the notch. The tongue plates c, which are secured together at their lower edges by the rivets passing through the aligned ends of the triangular or Q-shaped loop a, are held together near their opposite edges by a pair of bolts 9' passing through them close to the bevelled edges of the hangers; the heads and nuts of these clamping bolts are thus largely shielded from rubbing-against the walls of the tires by the presence of these bevelled edges e which may themselves be rounded off to reducethe risk of damage to the tires. In addition, the two pairs of plates, viz. the tongue plates c and the hangers e, may be secured together by welding along the slots (1 and down the projecting ends of the hangers, as indicated at (2 In order to reinforce the tongue construction and to obviate the need for additional bolts nearer to the rounded point or p a, which would increase the risk of damage to the tires, the tongue plates 0 are fitted with a pair of cover plates k, drilled and slotted or notched to register with the tongue plates and secured by the bolts 3' passing through the latter, but being of less height than the tongue plates 0. The cover plates is engage the bevelled or shouldere ends of a pair of dowel pins Z extending through the tongue plates 0 near their free edges, fore and aft of the shoe; th se dowel pins serve for the attachment of the connecting chain m in the central plane of the wheel. Alternatively, the dowel pins 1 may be provided with collars Z at one end only, their retaining means being formed by one cover plate k drilled and counter-bored to engage over the collars, as shown in Fig. 3.

The side flap {7 of each shoe may be hinged to the twisted element 1 by means of one or more channel-section members n through the flanges of which the hinge pin or bolt 0 is passed,

while the web or the superposed webs of the channel-section member or members is or are riveted to the flat tab f at the end of the element remote from the vehicle; suitable means are provided for limiting the inward closing movement-of the flap towards the side of the outer tire, for example by a stop piece 2) such as described in my pending patent application Serial No. 531,559, filed April 1-8, 1944. The effect of the stop piece, in the present over-all chain, is to keep the twisted element 1 substantially horizontal while passing along the upper run of the chain between the wheels; the tension of the coupling chains m and 112 controls the position of the side flap 9, and the latter is thus enabled to support the shoe 1 so that the overall chain leads on to the front wheel in a proper manner. Any angular inclination between the two wheels will result in a corresponding twist of the coupling chains, which will produce the necessary deflection of the side flap, shoe-element and tongue about to lead on to the front wheel: due to the rounded shape of the ointsection a of the tongue and to the shielding or suppression of projectin parts on the tongue plates. the improved over-all chain shoe'will cau e a minimum amount of damage to the tires.

The free end of the twisted element. beyond the tongue-attachment or han er plates, is made of such length as to engage the tread of the inner tire for at least half of its width but without rubbing against the side of the vehicle or frame, this extremity of the element being preferably cut oil square and the sharp corners rounded to a convenient radius, as indicated at f in Fig. 1.

What I claim is:

1. A non-skid device for vehicles having wheels fitted with twin tires, comprising a plurality of shoes, lateral flaps pivoted to the outside ends of said shoes, rigid members secured to said shoes at about the middle of their length so as to penetrate between the tires, a chain connecting said pivoted flaps serially, and another chain connecting said rigid members serially, each of said rigid members including a pair of longitudinally slotted hangers secured to the respective shoe in planes parallel to the length of said shoe, 2. pair of parallel plates engaged in the slots of said hangers in planes perpendicular to the length of said shoe, and a rounded point-section fixed between said parallel plates, said pointsecticn extending perpendicular to the length of said. shoe and beyond said parallel plates in a direction to penetrate between said tires.

2. A non-skid device for vehicles having wheels fitted with twin tires, comprising a plurality of shoes, lateral flaps pivoted to the outside ends of said shoes, rigid members secured to said shoes at about the middle of their length so as to penetrate between the tires, a chain connecting said pivoted flaps serially, and another chain connecting said rigid members serially, each of said rigid members including a pair of separated plates secured to the respective shoe, a rounded point-section fixed between said plates, said point-section extending beyond said plates in a direction to penetrate between said tires, a pair of dowel pins engaged in said plates, said dowel pins forming attachments for elements of said other connecting chain, and at least one cover plate secured to said plates for reinforcing said plates and holding said dowel pin in position therein.

3. A non-skid device for vehicles having wheels fitted with twin tires, comprising a plurality of shoes, lateral flaps pivoted to the outside ends of said shoes, rigid members secured to said shoes at about the middle of their length so as to penetrate between the tires, a chain connecting said pivoted flaps serially and another chain connecting said rigid members serially, each of said rigid members including a pair of separated plates secured to the respective shoe, a rounded point-section fixed between said plates, said point-section extending beyond said plates in a direction to penetrate between said tires, a pair of dowel pins engaged in said plates, said dowel pins being located intermediately between said shoe and said point-section and forming attachments for elements of said other connecting chain, and at least one cover plate secured to said plates for reinforcing said plates and holding said dowel pins in position therein.

4. A non-skid device for vehicles having wheels tted with twin tires, comprising a plurality of shoes, lateral flaps pivoted to the outside ends of said shoes, rigid members secured to said shoes at about the middle of their length so as to penetrate between the tires, a chain connecting said pivoted flaps serially, and another chain connecting said rigid members serially, each of said rigid members including a pair of hangers secured to the respective shoe, a pair of parallel plates secured to said hangers, and a rounded point-section fixed between said parallel plates, said point-section extending beyond said parallel plates in a direction to penetrate between said tires, and bolts clamping said parallel plates together, the heads and nuts projecting on opposite sides of said plates being shielded from contact with said tires by the edges of said hangers on the outsides of said parallel plates.

5. In a non-skid device for vehicles having Wheels fitted with twin tires, including a plurality of shoes consisting of twisted metal bars, with pivoted lateral flaps and rigidly secured central tongues, a central tongue comprising a pair of parallel hanger plates riveted to a central untwisted portion of the bar, a pair of parallel tongue plates secured crosswise to said hanger plates, a point-section fixed between said tongue plates at their edges remote from said bar, said point-section being of substantially D- shape with its rounded portion extending beyond said tongue plate edges in a direction to penetrate between the tires, a pair Of dowel pins engaged in said tongue plates, said dowel pins forming attachments for elements of 2. connecting chain, at least one cover plate arranged outside said tongue plates, and a pair of bolts passing through said tongue and cover plates to clamp them together and to cause said cover plate to hold said dowel pins in place.

ERNEST ARTHUR DENNISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,008,210 Hipkins July 16, 1935 2,130,277 Kennedy fl Sept. 13, 1938 2,233,264 Kennedy May 19, 1942 2,374,355 Kennedy Apr. 24, 1945 

